Simon’s ant as archetype of intimacy
If what we’re interested in is the path, and if the ant relies mostly on its own internal structure to guide its steps, counting on the ground just for friction and support, then the ant and beach are two relatively independent components or systems, with a well-defined simple interface at the soles of its feet. If, on the other hand, there is constant close coupling between the ant and the details of the beach surface, and if this coupling is crucial in determining the actual path, then, for purposes of understanding that path, the ant and beach must be regarded more as an integrated unit than as a pair of distinct components. This is the simplest archetype of what I mean by intimacy.
—Haugeland, J., 2000: Mind Embodied and Embedded, p. 11. Chapter 9 in Haugeland, J., 2000: Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind. Harvard University Press.
author:haugeland-john book:haugeland-having-thought paper:haugeland-mind-embodied-and-embedded snip:simon’s-ant-as-archetype-of-intimacy intimacy framing interface list:mind-body-world
